[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 167 (Wednesday, December 21, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14299-S14300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        KATRINA RECOVERY EFFORTS

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, this holiday season is a time for 
families to come together, reflect on the year's challenges and 
opportunities, and give thanks for all that has been accomplished. It 
is also a time to take action to help those less fortunate.
  The year 2005 was a year of great challenges, and among the greatest 
were the hurricanes that ripped through the gulf coast.
  The magnitude of Hurricane Katrina was unprecedented. Its aftermath 
brought us images that we thought we would never see in America--lives 
lost, communities destroyed, families uprooted.
  The toll was particularly devastating for hundreds of thousands of 
young children and students torn from the surroundings and institutions 
they depend on, and I'd like to spend a few moments discussing this 
aspect of the recovery effort.
  We are all familiar with the devastation that past hurricanes have 
caused. Some have temporarily closed schools and colleges. In the 
aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the Army, Navy, and National 
Guard joined in helping to repair classrooms and reopen school doors in 
about 3 weeks. Last year, Florida schools damaged by Hurricane Charley 
reopened within a month, and students were quickly back on track in 
their classrooms.
  But Hurricane Katrina caused vastly greater devastation, especially 
in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. More than 700 schools and 30 
colleges and universities were damaged or destroyed. Almost all have 
been closed, at least temporarily, and many will not open until January 
at the earliest. Some are in danger of never reopening.
  The number of students affected is staggering. More than 370,000 
elementary, middle, and high school students were displaced. Over 
100,000 college students were affected by the disaster. And 18,500 Head 
Start or Early Head Start children were uprooted from programs.
  These are not just statistics. These are real people whose lives have 
been changed forever.
  Hurricane Katrina reminded us that we are all part of a single 
American family. And we have a responsibility to help members of that 
family when they are in need.
  For too many weeks, our friends in the gulf region have waited for 
Congress to provide help in rebuilding their lives and their 
communities. Today, I am pleased that we will take an important step in 
actually providing the assistance so obviously needed.
  The Katrina and Rita relief provisions in the conference report 
passed by the Senate today include several proposals developed by 
Senator Enzi and myself to help the children and students affected by 
these hurricanes.
  It includes assistance to ensure that the youngest children uprooted 
by these tragic storms receive the services, help, and support they 
need. The bill dedicates funding to provide access to Head Start 
preschool programs and child care.
  It provides much-needed relief for the public and private schools 
across the country that generously opened their doors to schoolchildren 
whose lives were turned upside-down by these disasters. These schools 
provided classrooms, teachers, and services for all of these students, 
and did so without a penny from the Federal Government.
  It also includes relief for colleges in the affected areas, and 
ensures that college students displaced by the hurricane will receive 
the financial aid they need to stay in school and continue working 
toward their degree. Several colleges in Louisiana are in danger of

[[Page S14300]]

closing their doors for good, unless they receive this critical 
assistance soon. The funding approved by the Senate today may not be 
enough to guarantee their future, but at least it offers much needed 
support.
  This relief is long overdue, and I commend the Senate for taking 
action.
  When these devastating storms struck, the entire nation responded in 
a way that is as caring and as generous as the American spirit.
  Thousands volunteered to help. Families opened their homes. School 
districts across the country accommodated displaced students in their 
schools. Colleges and universities graciously opened their doors.
  The Nation is grateful to all who did so much to help respond in the 
tragic aftermath of the hurricanes. We are grateful to the school 
principals and superintendents and the college presidents and deans who 
served as first-Responders and helped so many students continue their 
education.
  But these educators need help as they struggle to accommodate the 
students. Congress must do its part to help these devastated 
communities get back on their feet and enable students to return to 
their schools. We also need to help the institutions that are laboring 
so hard to provide a safety net for these children and their families.
  That is why the proposals in this conference report are so important. 
This funding will rehabilitate and strengthen the educational 
institutions that serve and assist children and students affected by 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and help meet the needs of early 
education, elementary and secondary education, and higher education.
  Thousands of young children affected by the storms need to return 
home to safe and healthy settings. They need good early childhood 
programs in adequate facilities. Their families need health and 
counseling services to cope with the trauma brought on by the storms.
  The bill facilitates enrollment in Head Start and Early Head Start by 
waiving income eligibility and other requirements, so that families 
affected by Katrina will be able to enroll their children more easily. 
It provides $90 million for affected Head Start centers to provide 
preschool opportunities to displaced students. It also provides 
additional support and guidance to meet the emotional needs of children 
and their families.
  We are reminded by this disaster that schools are the heart of local 
communities across America. When schools open, families return, 
businesses return, and lives begin to return to normal. So I am pleased 
that the report provides $750 million for special school reopening 
grants to districts and communities significantly affected by Hurricane 
Katrina.
  These grants will aid in the effort to retain highly qualified 
teachers, recover lost data, establish temporary facilities, and take 
other steps necessary to reopen the schools.
  The bill also responds to the efforts of schools in Texas, Georgia, 
Florida, and other States that opened their doors to displaced 
students. It provides $645 million for public and private schools that 
have enrolled displaced students, in order to ease the transition of 
students into new schools, support basic instruction, purchase 
textbooks and materials, and temporarily expand facilities to avoid 
overcrowding.
  Both public and private schools can benefit from this aid, but the 
proposal sets ideology aside and rejects the attempts by the House and 
the administration to provide this aid in the form of vouchers to 
parents through a 1-800 number. Instead, the bill uses the mechanisms 
of current law to provide aid for students in private schools through 
the public school system.
  The funds can only be used for the same list of allowable educational 
services as for public schools and so cannot and should not be used for 
religious activities. It makes clear that all of the aid is temporary, 
and is being provided in response to the extraordinary circumstances 
resulting from these disasters. It is not a precedent for future 
policymaking.
  In addition, to help meet the demand for qualified teachers, the bill 
authorizes the Secretary of Education to encourage states to extend 
temporary reciprocity for the certification of teachers and para-
professionals across state lines. Teachers certified as highly 
qualified in one state should be recognized as meeting this standard in 
other States as well.
  To ease the burden faced by colleges and universities in the declared 
disaster area, the bill also authorizes the Secretary of Education to 
waive various Federal reporting requirements. It includes $200 million 
for student aid and waives the institutional matching requirement for 
students affected by the hurricane. These funds can also be used to 
help institutions in Louisiana rebuild their facilities and welcome 
their students home. Our priority should be to help these colleges and 
universities move into the future.
  This relief package is a welcome step to help life return to normal 
for the hundreds of thousands of children and students uprooted by 
these deadly storms. We begin today to help the gulf coast communities 
rebuild and re-open their schools and colleges.
  We need to continue this important work in the coming weeks, by 
assessing the ongoing needs of those affected by the hurricanes, and 
doing all that is necessary to help them rebuild their lives.

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